The Stone Money of Yap

Yapese myths claim that an ancient navigator sailed his canoe 250 miles to the neigboring island of Palau and discovered a sparkling rock, which today's geologists call "crystalline calcite." This material forms the colorful, glistering walls of limestone caves that honeycomb Palau's Rock Islands.

According to the legends, the navigator instructed his sailing crew to carve pieces of rock in the shape of a full moon. A hole was cut in the center of the stone disks so that they could be carried on wooden poles. Radioactive carbon dating indicates the Yapese may have been producing stone money as fas back as 1,500 to 2,000 years ago.

ROC Navy Arrives in Palau

April 13, 2010 the ROC Naval Ship arrive at Palau around 2:30 in the afternoon. Around 800 ROC Navy including its officers visit Palau for a 3-day exploration. They visit hotels, dine at restaurants, buy souviners and play in water for their 3-day stay here in Palau.

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Airai Water Paradise Hotel & Spa

Jellyfish Lake

Jellyfish Lake (Palauan Ongeim'l Tketau, "Fifth Lake") is a marine lake located on Eil Malk island in Palau. Eil Malk is part of the Rock Islands

, a group of small, rocky, mostly uninhabited islands in Palau's Southern Lagoon, between Koror and Peleliu. There are about 70 other marine lakes located throughout the Rock Islands. Jellyfish Lake is one of Palau's most famous dive (snorkeling only) sites. It is notable for the millions of golden jellyfish which migrate horizontally across the lake daily.
Jellyfish Lake is connected to the ocean through fissures and tunnels in the limestone of ancient Miocene reef. However the lake is sufficiently isolated and the conditions are different enough that the diversity of species in the lake is greatly reduced from the nearby lagoon. The golden jellyfish Mastigias cf. papua etpisoni and possibly other species in the lake have evolved to be substantially different from their close relatives living in the nearby lagoons.

Snorkeling in Jellyfish Lake is a popular activity for tourists to Palau. Several tour operators in Koror offer trips to the lake. Eil Malk island is approximately a 45 minute boat ride from Koror. The lake is accessed by a short trail from the beach on Eil Malk to the lake.
Tourists require a pass to access to Jellyfish Lake. The Rock Islands/Jellyfish Lake pass is $35 and is good for 10 days.
Scuba diving by tourists in the lake is not allowed. Two reasons are put forward for this:
The bubbles from scuba tanks can harm the jellyfish if they collect beneath their bell.
The anoxic layer that begins at about 15 meters contains high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide which can be absorbed through the skin of a diver which can lead to death.
Jellyfish Lake is currently the only one of Palau's marine lakes open to tourists.

Milky Way

For the ultimate glimpse of the extravagant Milky Way with its white wash tricky sand, come to Palau!

The depth of the water is what makes the color of the ocean along with what lies underneath it. The Palau Milky Way is not made up by sand, it's made up by white limestone mud. White lime stones are free from impurities, but they generally contain small quantities of other minerals than calcite which affect their color. Many lime stones are yellowish or creamy, especially those that contain a little iron oxide or iron carbonate or clay. They call it Milky Way because it is the color of Milk.

Dip into the water and put on the sand all over your body and treat yourself and your skin to the long lasting softness effect of it with proven moisturizers that can make skin and hair shiny and healthy!